Hoist-chair.



PATENTED AUG. 22 1905.

H. B. ORANDALL.

HOIST CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED 2030.31, 1904 QM in .7 1

Wit vwowo mnncw, B 0mm: a wommuoammms. WASWNGYON. n cy UN s'rrns HENRYB. ORANDALL, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE FOURTH TO JOHN L.MOMANUS AND ONE-FIFTH TO JAMES D. Mao- PHERSON, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

HOlST GHMiR.

Patented Aug. 22, 1905.

Application filed December 31, 1904. Serial No. 289,263.

To a. 11/71/0711, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY B. CRANDALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented new and useful Improvements in Hoist-Chairs, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to chairs or seats of that type which issuspended from an overhead structure and which may be hoisted or loweredto enable a workman to vary his position relatively to the building orother structure upon which. he is engaged. Chairs of this type are usedby painters, riggers, or by workmen employed upon other kinds ofconstruction or repair work on elevated structures. It is essential, ofcourse, that such a device to be useful must be safe and strong andeasily operated.

The object of my invention is to provide a hoist-chair of this typewhich shall not only meet the above requirements, but shall be simpleand of low cost.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which will present no material obstruction to the workmanwhether he is sitting facing one way or the other.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a chair embodying myinvention in elevation, the upper portion of the yokeframe being insection, said figure also representing the hoistingrope as connected toa portion of an overhead structure. Fig. 2 represents an elevation fromone side of Fig.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in bothfigures of the drawings.

The frame of the chair comprises a yoke 10, having an eye 11 at its top,the said yoke being preferably composed of a single piece of wroughtiron or other suitable metal. It may be formed of tubing or of solidround or flat metal. The lower ends of the side in embers of the frameor yoke 10 are preferably screw-threaded, whereby nuts 13 may beemployed to secure the seat 12, said. seat having openings at its endsthrough which the side bars of the yoke extend.

A winding drum or shaft 1 1 is mounted in bearings formed in brackets orbraces 15, which extend. out of the plane of the yoke to a suitabledistance, so that the bearings formed at the apex of the brackets willsupport the winding-drum in a position where it will not conflict withthe operations of the workman. Secured to each end of the shaft of thewinding-drum is a gear 16, meshing with a pinion 17, mounted to rotatein a suitable bearing formed in or on the bracket 15 below the plane ofthe axis of the windingdrum. Each pinion is provided with a crank 18, bymeans of which it and. the winding-druln may be operated. Since the axisof the windii'ig-drum is above the horizontal plane of the axes of thetwo pinions 17, the said winding-drum is farther above the level of theworkman than would be the case if its axis was coincident with or belowthe plane of the axes of the pinions. Consequently a workman sitting onthe seat 12 will not find the winding-drum an obstruction in case he isfacing that way, although he will be able to reach one or both of thecranks 18 to raise or lower himself.

One or both of the gears 16 has a ratchet 1.9, secured to or integralwith it, and a detent-pawl 20 is pivoted to the bracket 15 and soarranged as to engage the ratchet 19 to prevent the unwinding of therope from the drum. The pawl 20 may be provided with a knob or pin 21 toenable the workman to conveniently throw the pawl out of engagement withthe ratchet.

At 22 I have conventionally represented a suitable friction-brake which.may be em ployed to prevent a too-rapid descent of the chair if the pawlshould be disengaged. from the ratchet and at the same time neither ofthe cranks in the hand of the workman.

At 23 I have represented a strap adjustable in length by means of abuckle, said strap being engaged with the side bars of the frame or yokeand prevented. from sliding vertically thereon by means of suitableloops 241, formed on or connected with the side bars of the yoke. Thisstrap may be thrown either forward, or back, as'indicated by full linesand dotted lines in Fig. 2, to suit the direction in which the workmanis facing. Said strap is usually employed to form a back for the workmanor a guard to prevent him from falling backward.

The rope 26 or equivalent flexible connection has one end suitablysecured to the winding drum or shaft and is coiled thereon and extendsthrough the eye 1 1 at the top of the yoke. Said rope may have a hook 27at its upper end to be engaged with any suitable overhead rigid support,such as an eye, attached to a beam of the kind frequently employed onthe roof of a building to enable a scaffold to be suspended therefrom.

The seat 12 may be provided with hooks 25, on which either paint-pailsor bags of tools may be hung.

It will be observed that the construction is such that thesuspending-rope extends in a nearly straight line from the winding-drumto its extreme upper end, said rope passing through but one guide-eye,and therefore being little liable to become worn. The device may be usedwith either side facing the work to be done. If the workman wishes tohave the winding-drum constantly between him and the building, the drumwill not present a material obstruction to his work because it iselevated considerably above the plane of his seat. There is thereforenot even a rope in front of him to interfere with his work. If he wishesto work with his back to the drum, the crank-handle at either side canbe easily reached and operated whenever the workman wishes to change hisvertical position, as a partial turning of the workman upon the seatwill enable him to reach one or the other of the cranks. It is to benoted that the yoke is not only rigid, but is open both in front of andbehind the operator and above him, so that, if desired, he may standupright on the seat 12 and have his body in the plane of suspension. theWorkman or operator is allowed great freedom of movement.

Having now described my invention, I claim- 1. A hoist-chair comprisinga rigid open yoke having an eye at its top and having a seat extendingacross and connecting its lower ends and rigid therewith, a windingdrumin a plane at one side of the vertical plane of the yoke and above theplane of the seat to permit the workman to occupy the plane ofsuspension and conveniently reach the drum, and means for operating saiddrum.

2. A hoist-chair comprising a rigid open yoke having an eye at its topand having a rigid seat extending across and connecting its lower ends,rigid brackets projecting from the sides of the yoke and havingbearings, a winding-drum mounted in said bearings and having gears,pinions meshing with said gears and mounted in the brackets below saidgears, and cranks connected with said pinions, the location of thewinding-drum as described, enabling the workman to occupy the plane ofsuspension and to conveniently reach the said cranks.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

HENRY B. CRANDALL. l/Vitnesses:

H. JosEPH DOYLE, CHARLES F. ROBERTS.

By this structure.

